Owning a piece of the same homestead that my ancestors settled makes me a steward of this earth. Like my parents and grandparents, there are days when I am sweaty and exhausted from good honest work in the soil; there are days when I sit in my cushioned chair on the deck admiring the clouds. I am fortunate to have ”one foot in the city” and “one foot on the farm.”

One Foot

Sunday, March 11, 2012

A Glorious Sunset

Weather is the main
topic in March. We’re all sick of
winter, longing for the bright days of spring.
Violent storms shake the area, sometimes giving us the blessing of much
needed rain. When I was a child we had
“country wisdom” about weather. In school
it was “in like a lamb, out like a lion,” and we would draw and color lambs and
lions for days. The farmers applied
mariner wisdom to farming tasks, “red skies in morning, sailors take warning;
red skies at night, sailors delight.” And of course Farmers’ Almanac always had
us planting on the waning moon, March 15.

March is the month we
naturally attempt to predict our “yield.”
In the rural community we use weather signs to work and grow our
crops. In the city we use the same signs
to know if our gardens will grow or our trees will struggle.

Humans seem to have a
nature desire to know what will happen in the future. As we study our Lenten
lessons and follow Christ’s last days, the scriptural foreshadowing tells us
that a great change is about to take place.
Even though the prophets of the
Old Testament predicted a Messiah, it is the scriptural story of the New
Testament that provides the facts.

Looking back on the
story of sacrifice, we know there is no escape for Jesus. As the story is revealed, we have human sadness
for him. It is answering the question of
“why” this had to happen that we come face to face with our faith. We symbolically put away our hallelujah
banner and wait for the conclusion of Christ’s journey.

When farmers practice prediction,
it is based on centuries of experience that has created trust, but they never
fail to celebrate the miracle of birth and rebirth. Likewise, we know and trust the story of
Jesus and we never fail to celebrate the miracle of resurrection.

The sunset I
photographed this week is just a seasonal weather event, but it reminds me of
the earthly presence of Christ, who lived, walked, and preached among us. We need not predict, for the story is
told. He died for us and through his
death we have a promise of eternal life.
It is a glorious sunset.